21. Characteristics of Miner’s Lettuce
Herbaceous annual; makes a
good annual groundcover
Size: 6-12 in. high; to 12 in.
wide
Growth period: fall to spring
Blooms:
Small, white
Feb-May
Foliage:
Attractive & unusual
Edible: usually raw in salads or
as greens
Also used as poultice on wounds
http://www.timetotrack.com/jay/minersl2.htm
22. Growing Miner’s Lettuce
from seed
Extremely easy
Sow in prepared soil in fall
(best) through spring
Germinates with:
Damp soil/fall rains
Short days
Re-seeds
May want to remove plants if
too prolific – will depend on
site
Steve Hurst @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database
23. Native annual greens are easy to include in a
conventional vegetable garden
Annual plant: dies to nothing
in summer
Just about any soil
Light: varies (full sun to full
shade)
Water: can take some
irrigation
Small size – suitable for
container gardening
http://www.meetup.com/san-antonio-wilderness-living-and-
survival/events/58227752/
30. Suncups are easy to
grow from seed
Flowers:
Mar-June; long bloom period
Cheery yellow; ½-1 inch
Attract pollinators, including
Skippers
Seeds:
Ripen spring-summer
Many small seeds
Dry capsule splits open
Will reseed; or seed on dry
ground in fall/winter
http://www.callutheran.edu/wf/chap/family/bjc-1063.htm
31. ‘Sunflakes’ cultivar
Widely available
Low growing - < 1 ft
Profuse bloomer
Use in garden:
In annual beds, prairies
As an edging plant
In rock garden
In containers or baskets
In vegetable garden –
attracts pollinators and
is edible
http://anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=176&account=none
68. The flowers are
awesome!!
Bright pink-magenta with
darker veins and paler eye
Flowers grow from the leaf
axils
Like all mallows, the
reproductive parts extend
beyond the petals –
suggests hummingbird
pollination
Bees, butterflies and
hummingbirds all drink the
nectar
With a little supplemental
water blooms all year long
Often blooms in it’s first
year
69. Island Mallow is easy to grow
Soil characteristics:
Texture: any well-drained
pH: any local – tolerates alkali
soils
Nutrients: needs no soil
amendments or fertilizer
Light: full sun to partial shade
(especially away from coast)
Water:
Regularly until established
Supplemental water to keep it
green & flowering year-round
Very drought tolerant - deciduous
Pests:
Leaf-eating insects (like earwigs)
70. Uses for Island Mallow in the garden
As a specimen plant –
extremely attractive
To attract birds, bees, and
butterflies
Quick-growing screen
On hillsides or bluffs
As a windbreak – particularly
near the coast (coastal
conditions fine)
As an open, informal hedge
As a small tree in small areas
Needs little attention other
than pruning to shape